Weeks into Ukraine's military offensive to retake Russian-occupied territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that battlefield progress has been "slower than desired.".
Some individuals think this is a Hollywood production and demand answers right away. "It's not," he remarked to the BBC.
The lives of individuals are in jeopardy. ".
According to Ukraine, its counteroffensive has so far allowed it to retake eight villages in the eastern Donetsk region and Zaporizhzhia in the south.
200,000 sq km (77,220 sq miles) of Ukrainian territory had been mined by Russian forces, according to Mr. Zelensky, making the military effort difficult.
"With all due respect, we will advance on the battlefield the way we deem best," Mr. Zelensky continued. "Whatever some might want, including attempts to pressure us.
He emphasized the necessity of NATO providing Ukraine with security guarantees, but he stated that joining NATO was the ultimate goal.
This week, the secretary general of the defensive alliance made it clear that there was no plan in place to invite Ukraine to the Nato summit taking place next month.
The Ukrainian leader declared, "[Jens] Stoltenberg is aware of my position. "Don't uproot our feet from the ground.". '.
The Ukrainian leader argued once more that his country should receive US-made F-16s, saying the first jets could possibly arrive in six or seven months and that fighter pilot training could begin as early as August.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference, which focused on the role the private sector can play in helping to rebuild his country, was being marked by Mr. Zelensky's interview with the BBC. Along with UK PM Rishi Sunak, he later gave a speech at the gathering.
Ukraine's economy contracted by 29.2% in 2022, and earlier this year, the World Bank estimated that recovery and reconstruction would cost $411 billion (£339 billion).
According to the Ukrainian president, he required assistance not only for recovery but also for transformation.
He stated that "quick steps" that needed to be taken right away included locating housing for people, restoring the destroyed Kakhovka dam, and decentralizing the energy system.
However, he added, "on a larger scale, we are talking about the transformation of Ukraine. "This is Ukraine not only with its energy and agriculture and industrial complexes, but with its reforms we can see. ".
In addition to discussing judicial and anti-corruption reforms, he mentioned "the digitilization of Ukraine.".
He made it clear that "victories on the battlefield are necessary" when I asked him what the war's endgame looked like at this point. He also stated that Ukraine would never negotiate, regardless of who the president of Moscow was, if Russia remained inside its borders.
No matter how far our counteroffensive advances, we will not consent to a frozen conflict because that is war and a development that offers no hope for Ukraine. ".
President Joe Biden has issued an alert regarding the threat posed by Vladimir Putin using tactical nuclear weapons that Russia recently announced it had moved to Belarus.
So I inquired as to whether Mr. Zelensky was alarmed by the threat.
Putin has been a danger to us ever since he took control of our first territory in 2014, he claimed.
He will talk about using nuclear weapons, but I don't believe he is ready to do so because he is so terrified for his life despite how much he loves it. But I have no way of knowing for sure, particularly when it comes to someone who has no connection to reality and who started a full-scale war against their neighbor in the twenty-first century. " .
I also questioned him about President Putin's remarks last week in St. Petersburg, where he said that he was a disgrace to the Jewish people. It was evident that the question caught Mr. Zelensky off guard because he lost many family members during the Holocaust, including his grandfather.
He inhaled deeply, lowered his head, and said he wasn't sure how to respond to the question after a short while.
It sounds like he isn't understanding what he is saying. Sorry, but it seems like after Hitler, he is the second-most powerful antisemite.
The president is speaking here. Such speech has no place in a civilized society. However, hearing how the rest of the world felt was crucial for me, and I appreciate the support.
. "
